CAMPING | Take Camping To The Next Level of Comfort With The Outbacker Firebox Tent Stove from Bell Tent Boutique

September 13, 2017 Shell Robshaw-Bryan

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Outbacker® ‘Firebox’ Tent Stove
£169.99 from Bell Tent Boutique
Buy it here

Features

Lightweight, portable log burner (12kg)
Glass window in door
60mm stainless steel flue pipe with built in spark arrestor
Square stove with slide-out grate
Flue sections can be packed away and stored inside
Folding legs
Optional accessories including a water boiler available

The stove with all of the flue pipes ready to be assembled

What we thought

We were expecting the stove to be bigger and heavier, but when it arrived we were very pleasantly surprised by it’s portability. It also comes with a bag, making it perfect for transporting to and from the campsite.

Our bell tent already has a flashing kit fitted and the canvas has already been specially treated, but even so, when it comes to using a wood burner, we don’t take any chances. A previous wood burner we’ve used came with a metal plate that the burner stood in, which provided a bit of added security in case anything hot were to fall out with the door open.

The removable ash grate

The Outbacker doesn’t come with a metal plate to sit on, so we placed it on top of a rubber mat, with two fire-retardant treated rag rugs over the top, just to be on the safe side, though once lit however, there really is no need to open the door and risk anything falling out.

We removed all the flue pipes from inside the stove, folded out the legs at the bottom and aligned it roughly beneath our flashing kit before slotting the flue pipes together.

Folding out the bottom legs

Initially we were slightly bamboozled, as each of the flue sections has a thin end and a large end, so the process of slotting them together seemed quite straight forward, until we ended up with two thin ends, and then two thick ends…then we noticed a missing flue section with two thick ends, added that, and bingo, the flue was made.

Pushing the spark arrestor through the flashing kit

All set up and ready to use

Once set up, we waited for nightfall and the temperature to drop before popping in a fire log and lighting it. There is a little glass window on the front of the door so you can see how the fire is doing once lit, and there’s a circular vent on the door too which can be opened and closed to control airflow. We noticed an orange glow in the first section of flue, and realised it was burning too hot, so we completely closed off the vent which brought the temperature back down a little.

With our enormous 6m bell, the stove didn’t take up too much space, and using one fire log (£1.99 from B&M) we enjoyed over 3 hours of heat, producing a noticeable increase in temperature, and glorious warmth when snuggled up next to it.

The Verdict

Lighter and smaller to transport than you might think, the Outbacker Firebox is ideal for bell tent owners who don’t want to be restricted to camping in the summer months, or for those who’d like to create a cosy refuge on chilly evenings, and we can’t recommend it enough.

Once you have your flashing kit in place (you can purchase a flashing kit separately if your bell tent doesn’t already have one), it’s quick and easy to set up and we found it very effective at increasing the temperature inside our bell tent. The removable ash grate made it easy to clean, and we think it makes a brilliant addition to our camping set up.

Stove set up with our carbon monoxide alarm, fire blanket, fire extinguiser and heat proof gloves close by. Our top rug (shown above) has been specially treated to be fire-retardant and under this we have a small folded fire blanket

Important Safety advice

Please check to ensure your tent is compatible with a flashing kit and stove
ALWAYS take appropriate precautions which should include a heatproof base, fire blanket, carbon monoxide alarm and fire gloves
Take a look at The Camping and Caravanning club Carbon Monoxide safety advice.
Find more general advice on using a wood burner inside a bell tent here.

If you are thinking of getting a wood burner you’ll need to find out whether your tent is fire retardant. If it isn’t you can buy a spray to treat the fabric yourself. We also strongly recommend that you buy a small fire extinguisher and a carbon monoxide alarm and please remember, that you should ensure your flue is fitted correctly and that your tent is still ventilated during use

Thank you to Bell Tent Boutique who supplied the featured product for us to test.

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Shell Robshaw-Bryan

Editor & Owner at Camping with Style

Shell loves all things travel and outdoors and is a nature-loving, comfy-camping kinda girl. Shell started the Camping with Style blog after a serious snowboarding accident which left her with a broken back. Despite this she used the outdoors and healing power of nature to aid her recovery and she continues to spend time outdoors whenever she can.

From open water swimming, snowboarding and kayaking to hill walks and meditation, Shell shares her travels and microadventures here on the blog and in various publications she's written for, Shell has a particular interest in promoting wellbeing and the many benefits of nature therapy.

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